IT support and Helpdesk collaboration saves money and time as more A/V technology is integrated into the classroom environment.
By Joy Zaccaria
December 06, 2012
interaction between the IT department and the helpdesk support team,” he says.
From the perspective of a manufacturer like Extron, the helpdesk function is another layer in the cake when end-users are making decisions about what technology goes in their facility. “This convergence of IP and A/V interests has a great benefit when it comes to resource management and monitoring,” says Derek Joncas, product marketing manager for Extron. “Being able to justify the right technology, like Extron’s GlobalViewer Enterprise, so meetings and classes run smoothly, is the real goal of these folks when it comes to their boardrooms, presentation spaces or communication spaces.” Day-to-day, there is an expectation that A/V devices will work in any given room. “They are just as prevalent as chairs, desks and tables now and have become an essential part of everyone’s meeting,” says Joncas.
End users are seeing the value in and requesting helpdesk support more and more. “The challenge is that, in order to have an effective helpdesk solution, end users need to make sure that the A/V and IT departments are fully integrated,” says Jeff Kindig, vice president of Marketing Strategy at AMX. “It is becoming obvious that collaboration between these two departments is essential in providing the best experience for the end user.” Plus coordination eliminates issues when it comes time to respond quickly and efficiently to requests.
In the education market, the helpdesk is particularly valuable considering the constant influx of faculty and students to campus on a regular basis and the sheer volume of rooms that need technical support. Resource Management Suite (RMS) Enterprise from AMX is software for IT and A/V managers that provides remote management capabilities for assets and building systems on the A/V and IT network system.
At Texas Woman’s University, a plethora of tools are used to manage and maintain its classrooms. “The main drive for RMS originally was to monitor and control projectors,” says Casey Foulds, the school’s Instructional Operations Systems Administrator. “Projectors and
Comments
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.
